Monday, September 26, 2011

We had an amazing weekend! Carmen is definitely one of Kentucky's favorite operas, and people came out in droves to the Brown Theater to prove it!

There is still one more chance to see this spectacular presentation. Perhaps you have heard we added a a performance to fulfill demand. Next Friday, September 30 at 8pm, Tara Venditti and Scott Piper will thrill the third crowd of the Brown Theater. We haven't sold out yet, so if you want to see it again - bring a friend. Call 502.584.7777 or just click here.

Scott Dowd wrote on Arts-Louisville.com "Vendetti and Piper, both making their Kentucky Opera debuts have magnificent voices that easily fill the Brown, supported expertly by conductor Joe Mechavich and the orchestra." Read his full review here.

And Selena Frey of Louisville.Com enjoyed herself as well saying, "Tara Venditti captures not just Carmen's powers of seduction, but also her passionate vigor and independent spirit. Singing the famous "Habanera" about the fickleness of love, Venditti is playful and appealing." Read her full review here.

If you are not yet convinced, just watch the video, and you will be ready to see the whole show!

Friday, September 9, 2011

Kentucky Opera announced today that it has reached an agreementwith the Louisville Federation of Musicians Local 11-637 (Local 11-637)to playfor the Brown-Forman 2011/12 Season opening performances of Carmen.The agreement, signed September 9, 2011 is pending ratification by the musicians of the union and approval by the board of directors of Kentucky Opera.

While the opening night performance of Carmen, Friday, September 23 is sold out, the additional performances scheduled on Sunday, September 25 at 2pm and the following Friday, September 30 at 8pm still have tickets available.

David Roth says, “Live orchestral music is a criticalelement to our performances and as we have said, we make it a priority to provide the best Kentucky Opera experience possible for our patrons. We are pleased to work with officials from the Local 11-637 and the Louisville Orchestra Musicians Association (LOMA) as it is a familiar partnership for both the musicians and the Opera.

Rehearsals for Carmen, initially scheduled to begin Monday, September 12, have been rescheduled to start Wednesday, September 14.The current agreement includes the rehearsals and three performances of Carmen only.While Kentucky Opera is already planning for its next production, The Marriage of Figaro on November 18 and 20, Roth says, “We will continue discussions with the Local 11-637 in regards to our next performance once we finish Carmen. Again, it is our intent to use live music for all of our performances.”

LOMA official, Kim Tichenor says, “We are very pleased to have reached an agreement and to have gone through such smooth negotiations. It’s exciting to be back and performing the great music of Carmen.”

Tickets are still available for the September 25 at 2pm and September 30 at 8pm performances of Carmen and can be obtained by calling 502.584.7777. More information is available at KyOpera.org

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Due to incredible demand, Kentucky Opera is now selling tickets for a third performance of Carmen – Friday September 30. Single tickets range from $35 - $78 and are available by calling 502.584.7777 or visiting KYOpera.org.

General Director, David Roth says “Our Brown-Forman 2010 Fall Season was such a success that in the spring we optioned with all of our artists a third performance of Carmen, to be added if we reached our higher subscription goals. We are already 10% above last season in sales, and currently have limited seats available for our opening night on Friday, September 23rd. Given that success, we have officially added this public performance, which should accommodate any fan, new or old, who wishes to see this great work.”

Kentucky Opera’s subscription campaign has been extremely successful this season, almost filling the 1350 seat auditorium of the Brown Theatre for the first performance of Carmen. Director of Patron Services for Kentucky Opera, Carla Givan Motes, says, “We have sold 1507 subscriptions to date and are very close to our season goal of 1600 subscriptions.” In 2010 season, the organization sold 1360, which was a 25% increase over the 2009 season.

Kentucky Opera would also like to assure all tickets buyers that each performance of Carmen will have a live orchestra. An agreement should be reached this week with Local 11-637 of the American Federation of Musicians so that Kentucky Opera can begin contracting local orchestral musicians to perform for these services.

The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, supports Kentucky Opera
with state tax dollars and federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.